


Torture

by Cherry



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A drabble about Chapter 55, Chapter 55 Spoilers, Dark, Gen, Manga spoilers in general, References to Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2018-01-15 09:12:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1299556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry/pseuds/Cherry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gaps in the torture scene in Chapter 55 of the manga. Lots of spoilers for past chapters as well as 55.</p><p>Drabble - my interpretation of what the characters' thoughts and feelings might have been. </p><p>Hange Zoe screams when she has to inflict pain on titans. Levi hates unnecessary deaths and does all he can to keep his soldiers out of danger. </p><p>What happens when their only option is this?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Torture

**Author's Note:**

> Bernard and Lena are my names for "Goggles" and the small woman in Hange's squad. If we ever learn their real names I'll change them. 
> 
> Spoilers for manga Chapter 55.
> 
> I'm working on the next chapter of "Coup de Grace" and my other fics - thank you so much for the support if you're following those. Chapter 55 disturbed me - I had to deal with it by writing. If anyone has any comments I'd love to hear them - I really want to talk about this chapter. I can't believe that Levi and Hange were actually enjoying themselves as Sanes said, even if Hange does get a bit carried away sometimes. But perhaps I'm wrong and just apologising for them? I felt so sorry for Sanes and Ralph - but also for Nick. I don't know anymore!

“We get one shot at this.” Hange had rarely seen Levi so tense. He paced the small room, deep in thought, betraying his agitation with the uncharacteristic unnecessary motion. “If we fuck up, we lose everything. You _can’t_ go all emotional on us, Zoe.”

Hange almost flinched at Levi’s use of her given name. The fact that he’d cut out the normal derogatory epithets  - _shitty four-eyes_ always his favourite – told her that things were reaching their most serious point. “You don’t have to worry,” she assured him. “I’m not going to have any sympathy for Sanes – I can promise you that. I saw what he did to Pastor Nick – that and the way he spoke to Moblit and me – insulting the Survey Corps –”

“I’ve heard that you scream when you have to inflict pain on _titans_ ,” Levi retorted. “Isn’t that true, Moblit?”

Hange’s lieutenant looked from Levi to Hange and back. “It – has been known,” he admitted. Hange glared at him.

“It’s important,” Moblit told her, raising his hand apologetically. “Like Captain Levi said – we have one chance at this. If we fail, then the commander’s plan falls through before it’s begun.”

Levi nodded emphatically. “We _can’t_ fail. Erwin’s head is in the noose over this.” He looked at Moblit, and then, intently, at Hange. “Ours, too,” he added, almost as an afterthought. “Hange - tell me exactly what you said to Sanes last time you met.”

“I’ve told you already,” Hange said. “He said we were such a small force that our ranks were meaningless and –”

“Not that part, idiot! The threat! What exactly did you threaten them – the ‘robbers’ – with?”

“I said they’d experience even greater misery than Nick did – inflicted on their own bodies!” Hange replied, her anger audible in her tone. “Those bastards – you didn’t see, but his hands, Levi!”

“ _Even greater misery than Nick did._ Right. All right. That’s what you promised, so that’s what we do. They have to believe we mean what we say. What did you see? What had they done? Exactly?”

Hange glanced at Moblit who shook his head. “I didn’t get a good look. But you said – all his nails…”

“Yes,” Hange confirmed. “He didn’t have a single nail left on either hand. And he’d been beaten up. His face – one eye was swollen closed, and I think his nose was broken. It was hard to tell. There was a lot of bruising. He may have lost teeth – I’m not sure.”

“So that’s what we do. That’s the payback,” Levi said. “You keep your promise. And then – _then_ we start asking questions.”

Moblit and Hange both stared at him. “ _What?_ ” Moblit asked. “You – want us to do all that to him without even asking any questions? That’s –”

“What is it?” Levi asked, his voice calm, but his fists clenched at his sides. He stopped pacing and turned to look directly at Moblit. “What is it?” he repeated. “Unfair? Cruel? _Evil_?”

“Well –” Moblit started, but Levi cut him off with a wave of one hand. “It’s all of those, looked at as an isolated act. Perhaps it’s all those absolutely – I don’t know. But it will be effective, and that’s all we can afford to care about now. If we look like monsters, that will make our job easier. Even if we _are_ monsters… Huh – well, then that’s what we are. It doesn’t matter. We have to succeed. If Erwin is wrong about the Reiss family, we’re all fucked anyway – and if we lose, the titans win, whatever they are - whatever the hell’s going on.”

“I thought I knew what I was fighting for,” Hange said, shaking her head. “Even when we found out that the titans are almost certainly people – or were once – it’s tragic, but as long as they eat us, we have to find a way to destroy them, don’t we? Our aim was always to allow humanity to move outside the walls. But now – moving against the king… Not that it hasn’t been a long time coming.”

“Yeah, we should’ve done it four years ago,” Levi said, scowling. “If we’d known then what we know now… But that’s past. Now, we focus on this. So – Sanes is in charge – we start with him.”

“The other one – Ralph – I think he might be weaker,” Zoe said.

“Good. We can use that maybe… if Sanes won’t spill easy. Djel Sanes. Is he just a bully who gets off on throwing his weight around, or is there more to him?” Levi frowned. “Don’t want to misjudge him like I did with Nick.”

“He acted like a bully,” Hange replied. “But I don’t know. I don’t think he’s stupid, but he’s careless, letting me know he knew Nick was a Wallist. Too used to being above accountability I think. But he probably didn’t believe my story about being Nick’s friend.”

“Doesn’t matter whether he believed it or not,” Levi said. “That’s what we’re going with. If everyone knows it’s a lie, that won’t hurt. Whether he believes you’re crazy about what they did to Nick or just plain fucking crazy – either one will do. What we need is for him to believe we’ll do anything – and that if we say we’re doing something, then we’re doing it. So – Hange – when Sanes comes around, you start with the fingernails. The worse we make the first part, the more likely it is that we won’t have to go all the way. We don’t want any avoidable deaths. _I_ don’t – and Erwin was very clear about that. A bloodless revolution – that’s what he’s after. Although whether that’s possible…” Levi shook his head. “Anyway. Zoe. Can you do it?”

“I’ve never – done that to a human –”

“Torture,” Levi said. “I’ve never been much good with words, but I hate it when people won’t call shit like it is. We have to get this information, and we don’t have time to waste, so torture is what we’re using. Can you do it?”

“Yes.” Zoe looked at him, her eyes as fierce as Levi had ever seen them. “Yes, I can. And – it may have been a lie that Nick was my friend – but I do feel responsible for his death. I should have known how much danger he was in. I think he was – or at least, he was trying to be – a good man.”

“He had guts,” Levi conceded.

Moblit looked at Zoe’s set expression. “What if we do all the things you said and he still won’t talk?” he asked. “Captain Levi - back at the lodge, when you first heard about Nick’s death, you said that if a man was going to talk, he’d talk after losing just one nail. What do we do if Sanes won’t talk?”

“Not all torture is physical,” Levi replied. “If he won’t talk, we use his subordinate – Ralph was it?”

“That’s right,” Hange confirmed.

“People who won’t talk to save _themselves_ often feel differently about their friends,” Levi said. “Or we can use Ralph in other ways. If someone thinks their friend has betrayed them – that they’ve already given up the info – then they have an excuse to give in. We’ll do whatever we need to.”

Moblit nodded. Hange was watching Levi. “You’ve done this before,” she said.

“I – have past experience, yeah.” Levi looked towards the door. “I would’ve thought he’d have woken up by now. We should be there when he does. Moblit – you’ll be recording everything that’s said – by us, as well as him. We need an accurate record. Erwin will want to know.”

“Yes, Sir,” Moblit replied.

“Ready?” Levi asked.

Moblit and Hange nodded.

“All right, let’s go.”

Sanes was still slumped in the large wooden dining chair, thick ropes binding his wrists and ankles to the chair frame. Keiji stood to attention when Levi, Hange and Moblit entered the room.

“Any movement from him?” Levi asked.

“No, Sir. He still out,” Keiji replied.

“Good. We’ll take it from here. You join the others guarding Ralph. Keep him quiet when he comes round.”

“Yes, Sir,” Keiji headed for the door.

“Oh,” Levi added, “Check on my squad first would you? I told them to wait upstairs.  - Make sure the door’s shut.”

Keiji nodded, his expression grim.

x

 

 “All right?” Levi asked Hange in a low voice, when the door was closed behind him. They’d left Sanes in the dark, the door ajar to allow a thin shaft of light into his cell, and, Moblit suspected, for other reasons.

“I – yes.” Hange pulled out a chair and slumped in it, exhausted. Then she made herself sit up straight, her arms resting on the wooden arms of the chair. She looked at her fingernails.

“You did well.” Levi’s voice was as calm as ever, but his movements had been violent as he’d stripped off his bloody apron and gloves the second he’d entered the room, and kicked them into a corner.

“It – got easier. I – tried to think of it as – a – like a scientific procedure. At first I was all fingers and thum – oh!” Hange gave a horrified burst of laughter. Levi’s eyes widened. “Not yet,” he told her. “Fuck – we haven’t finished yet.”

“I know, I know – sorry.” Hange put her head in her hands and sighed. “How much more?”

“Not much, I hope,” Levi said, glancing at Moblit, who was sitting at the table, absolutely still, one hand over his mouth. He took the sketchpad Moblit had been using to record the interrogation, and flipped to a new page. “Time to bring in Ralph.” He thrust the pad back in front of Moblit. “If you’re gonna puke, for god’s sake go and do it outside.”

Moblit took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m – I’m all right.”

“Good. I need you to write. My handwriting’s shit.” Moblit picked up his pencil. “This is like – a script,” Levi said. “Me and Ralph. Me first. Write this: ‘You’re pathetic – spilling everything after only losing one nail. Sanes hasn’t got a single fingernail left.’”

When Levi had finished dictating, Hange raised her head. “You think this will work?”

“Sanes is having doubts about his past actions. He’s more like Nick than I expected – he’s not a coward. But we’ve made him think. If we’re lucky, this will be enough. Let’s get it done.”

Ralph’s cell was identical to Sanes’. Keiji and Bernard were on guard; Lena was upstairs sleeping, in the hope that she would soon have news to deliver to Erwin. Ralph’s eyes widened above the gag, as Levi approached the chair to which he was bound. Levi drew a small, vicious-looking knife from his boot, and leaned towards Ralph. “I suppose you heard your friend Sanes screaming earlier?” Levi asked. He glanced back at Hange. “Don’t know about you, but my ears still hurt.”

“He was loud,” Hange agreed.

“Thing is,” Levi went on, “we only really need one of you. We’d prefer not to kill you, but we will. You know how things stand – you know what we’re risking here. We’re going to take you outside, and you’re going to read some lines for us. If you do it right, you live. If you say anything that isn’t what we’ve written, or you make any other sound, you die. If you don’t make it convincing enough, you don’t die – but we get the information we need from you instead of Sanes – however long it takes. Do you understand?”

Ralph nodded frantically, sweat beading on his forehead.

“All right.” Levi cut the ropes that bound Ralph’s wrists and ankles, effectively demonstrating the sharpness of the knife, and dragged the prisoner to his feet. Hange came forward, holding Moblit’s notepad.

“Walk,” said Levi, moving around behind Ralph. When they reached the bottom of the stairs just outside the slightly open door to Sane’s cell, Levi cut free the gag and pushed Ralph towards the stairs. “Keep moving. You’re pathetic,” Levi said, shoving Ralph up half a dozen steps, before halting, his knife blade against Ralph’s neck, “spilling everything after losing only one nail. Sanes hasn’t got a single fingernail left. He’s nothing like you.” Hange pointed to Ralph’s line on the script Moblit had written so neatly.

“What do I care?” Ralph read, his body shaking, but his voice steady enough. “That’s his own decision.”

Moblit watched Ralph betraying his friend, and wondered about Sanes behind that heavy wooden door at the bottom of the stairs, listening. Would this be enough to break him? Moblit tried not to think about what he would do, in Sanes’ position, or in Ralph’s.

When it was over, they took Ralph upstairs and locked him in a room with a bed, leaving Keiji on guard duty.

“Now we go back to Sanes?” Moblit asked wearily.

“No,” said Levi. “We let him think about his options. We go back in at first light. Get some sleep. I’ll stand guard outside Sanes’ cell. Hange – find something nasty to threaten him with. With any luck, we won’t have to use it.”

“Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you, Levi,” Hange said, attempting a smile.

Levi nodded. “Go to bed, Shitty four-eyes. Back here at five-thirty sharp.”

 

The house was quiet. Lying on their bedding rolls, the members of Levi’s squad slept – or tried to sleep - in the room they’d been in for the better part of the day, apart from Jean, who was on guard duty by the front door, and Sasha in the attic. As he often did in times of distress, Jean tried to imagine what Marco would have said, but his friend’s ghost was silent. This had never been a part of the plan. Marco had always wanted to serve the king, and now… _What am I now?_ Jean wondered. _Am I a traitor? What if I’m no better than those bastards Berthold and Reiner? But I read the plan, back in the lodge in the country. I knew what the commander was planning and I didn’t say anything against it. What would you have done, Marco? What would you tell me to do?_

Sasha sat looking up at the little patch of stars visible through the open skylight. Quietly, she hummed a tune she’d known since she was a child – a celebration of a successful hunt. It had always been associated in her mind with feasting and a full belly, but for some reason, tonight she wasn’t even hungry.

Eren slept, and dreamed of things he wouldn’t remember in the morning. When he gave a soft moan, Mikasa woke and leaned across to him. “Eren? Are you awake?” she whispered, but there was no reply. On her left, Armin stirred. “He’s asleep. Dreaming I think. He was talking earlier.”

“Have you slept?” Mikasa asked.

“I can’t,” Armin replied. “I just – keep thinking.” Mikasa said nothing, but reached for his hand. Armin took it without a word.

Historia dreamed of a time when she was Krista Lenz, and people had given her love she knew she did not deserve. She knew that she had been playing a role for almost all her life, and there was another in her future, but drawing closer all the time - unwanted, more terrifying than titans, unavoidable.

Connie curled into himself, his hands over his ears as though he could still hear the muffled screams from downstairs. How could anyone sleep after that? _We’re not good people anymore_ , Armin had said. Well, what did it matter? What did anything matter? Connie’s mother was a titan, and – no one had said anything, but Eren had almost fused after three attempts. Connie’s mother had been trapped in that gross body for weeks now. There was no chance she could be rescued. His father, sister and brother were dead - members of the Survey Corps must have killed the titans they had become. Reiner – who had saved his life – was a titan shifter. Captain Levi and Squad Leader Hange were torturers. The Commander was planning to overthrow the king. All that was left was the Ape Titan. The Ape Titan, and revenge.

 

Once he was alone, Moblit finally threw up, but felt no better for it.

Zoe Hange lay on her bed, eyes open, staring into the dark.

Trying to ignore the pervasive smell of piss coming from Sanes’ cell, Levi stood motionless outside the door, all the weight of Erwin Smith’s desperate expectations on his narrow shoulders, as he waited for the dawn.


End file.
